All Environment
- First LookScientists prepare for $158 million expedition to Arctic center
Researchers from 19 countries will go on the most complex mission ever attempted in the central Arctic to get an up-close look at climate change.
- For the birds: Can humans turn empathy into solutions?
U.S. and Canadian bird populations have declined by 3 billion since 1970, according to a new study in Science.
- Behind the climate hype: Can models be trusted?
Models underpin what we know about how climate change affects our planet. They aren’t perfect, but can they be trusted?
- First LookCoral gardeners are replanting Jamaica's reefs, and it's working
Jamaica lost most of its coral in the 1980s and 1990s, but the reefs are healing thanks to seafloor stewardship and fishing policy changes.
- Cover StoryWill Hawaii lead the renewable revolution?
Hawaii has positioned itself as a pioneer in the quest to move toward a fossil fuel-free future. Its path may hold lessons for the rest of the U.S.
- First LookTrump administration cuts back water pollution protections
The rollback narrows which bodies of water require permits to pollute. Supporters of the repeal say protections infringe their property rights.
- First LookFish-friendly construction aims to help threatened Nevada trout
The Lahontan cutthroat trout came close to extinction after a dam was built in 1905. A new bypass canal will help it reach native spawning grounds.
- Wait, fish make noise? Meet the ‘fish listeners.’ (audio)
The ocean is not a silent world. And understanding its soundscape is essential to our ability to be good stewards of it.
- Where there’s wildfire, there’s smoke. Protecting ‘clean-air refugees.’
Wildfire smoke has produced the lowest air quality readings recorded in San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and other Western cities the past two years.
- First LookFeeling the heat, US begins fighting wildfires with fire
After decades of extinguishing blazes within hours, forestry services are now starting them to reduce fuel that can turn a wildfire into a catastrophe
- Inside the Amazon, a wealth of services for the whole planet
Satellites have detected more than 40,000 fires in the Amazon in 2019. The implications of those fires ripple far beyond Brazil or South America.
- FocusNASA eyes the ocean: How the deep sea could unlock outer space
In the search for extraterrestrial life, scientists turn to the ocean for inspiration. The research has spurred collaborations between oceanographers and NASA.
- With patience and binoculars, Ugandan women build jobs as birders
In Uganda’s Mabira Forest, women birders are their own guides. One helped our reporter train his gaze on a feathery find.
- Message in a bottle: Forensics meets marine science with eDNA
A new tool in marine research known as eDNA enables scientists to capture a snapshot of ocean communities without touching a single fish.
- A tabby by any other name: In Hawaii, a debate over what’s wild
In Hawaii, blurred boundaries between pets and wildlife fuel debate, even as residents find common ground in a shared love for animals.
- First LookUN climate report says habit changes can prevent a hungry future
Changes in diet, food waste, and land use will be crucial to maintaining food stability as climate change worsens, says the Thursday report.
- Dinged cars and damaged roofs: The high cost of a gull’s meal
Gulls have learned how to drop their prey – clams, mussels, and more – on hard surfaces to crack the shells. Cars and roofs don’t always fare well.
- What does climate change have to do with socialism?
Much of U.S. opposition to the mainstream science of climate change is rooted in fears of a socialist takeover of the American government.
- First LookGreenland ice melt to increase as heat wave continues
The heat wave that plagued Europe in July has moved over Greenland. Swaths of ice on the island now show indications of permanent melt.